Apprentices from Stone joined over 150 from across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent at the county’s first ever Apprentice Graduation Ceremony.
Young people with their families joined local employers and training providers for the celebration at the County Showground in Stafford on Wednesday (22nd July). Higher and Advanced apprentices representing engineering, teaching, retail, care and IT were all recognised for their achievements.
Samantha Thomas, 21, from Hilderstone, completed a Level 3 Contact Centre and Level 2 Business Admin with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Samantha said: “I started my apprenticeship with Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service in July 2010, at the time I was 17 and very unsure of what I wanted to do with regards to a career. I built fantastic relationships with my colleagues and managers and became familiar with other areas of the organisation. I learnt how to be professional, mature and responsible within my job role, along with enhancing my ICT skills.
“After two years in my Central Risk Reduction role I was extremely grateful to have been offered a new apprenticeship within Fire Control, for me this was when I started to see my future and career coming together, it felt like I had been given a dream job, working with an amazing team and doing a job that I am so proud to do. After just a few months I was offered a full time contract in the department and couldn’t have been happier. Everything I had learnt, worked hard for and the knowledge I had gained over the years had paid off.”
Mark Gater, 21, from Penkridge, completed his level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship in Children and Young People’s Workforce. He said: “I started out doing the Level 2 Apprenticeship in September 2012 working at Smartys Day Nursery in Stone and studying at Newcastle-under-Lyme College. After successfully completing the Level 2, I was offered a job with Smartys and allowed to progress on to my level 3.
“I have had previous experience of working with children and therefore a nursery nurse apprenticeship appealed to me as I enjoy the varying challenges that children present. I thoroughly enjoyed doing both the level 2 and level 3 as I was able to develop my knowledge on the job as well as in a classroom environment and I was able to see how the theory is applied in the real world, particularly child development and theories around promoting positive behaviour.
“I would thoroughly recommend an apprenticeship to anyone as it allows you to gain paid employment doing something you love whilst gaining a qualification in that area and there is a very high chance of getting a job out of it in the end.”
Cllr Ben Adams, Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills at Staffordshire County Council, said: “Addressing skills shortages and providing young people with the right training to get quality jobs is a key part of the county’s plans to grow Staffordshire’s economy. Apprenticeships play just as important a role as graduates in growing our economy and in particular increasing the number of specialised and highly-skilled apprenticeships remains a priority. We also want local employers to recognise the fantastic contributions that apprenticeships can bring to their companies, and the Apprenticeship helpline on 0300 111 8002 continues to give local employers advice on taking on their first apprentice.”
Last year over 11,000 people started an apprenticeship in Staffordshire, nearly double that of five years ago. And, the number of higher level apprentices continues to grow along with the number of new apprenticeships in hi-tech engineering. Higher Apprenticeships are now available at a range of levels, from the equivalent of a foundation degree to a bachelor’s degree and even master’s degree level in some sectors.
